


Karaoke Night

by NateTheWolf



Series: Thirteen/Yaz + Family [3]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Bars, Briefly mentions/shows past companions, Cutesy, Drinking, F/F, First time at a karaoke bar, Karaoke, awkwardDoctor, drunk people singing, lots of songs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-09-26 07:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17137640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NateTheWolf/pseuds/NateTheWolf
Summary: Takes place after 'Sing Along in the Taxi'.They take the Doctor to karaoke. Surprisingly, it goes quite well.





	1. Dinner at Yaz's

**Author's Note:**

> Song lyrics - although they're in dialogue, are in italics.

Najia and Hakim agreed to let them take the Doctor to the Karaoke bar, however, they had to wait for dinner. Once Sonya heard, she insisted on going, much to Yaz’s chagrin. They all sorted out a time to meet and Graham and Ryan decided to go home for dinner. 

“Hope you like Pizza,” Najia said to the Doctor as she opened the oven. 

“Oh, I haven’t had it si-” she started but saw Yaz’s glare, and tried to quickly think of an alternative to what she was going to say. “In ages. I assume so, new taste buds after all.”

Yasmin sighed slightly and went into her room. The blonde looked around worriedly as she leant on the table, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, she’s just going to get another chair for you to sit,” Hakim reassured her. 

“Oh, okay,” she smiled.

 Yaz got her computer chair from her room and placed it at the end of the table. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” she muttered as she cautiously sat on the chair. She wobbled slightly, then grinned and twirled in it, almost hitting the table. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay, just don’t hit the table when the Pizza’s out,” Yasmin smiled. She looked at the chairs and saw that her sister and her mum were sitting next to her friend. Something she didn’t want with Najia’s constant badgering, so she told her sister to move. 

“Why? Don’t want me near your whacko friend?” 

“Whacko?” the Doctor asked as she cocked her head to the side slightly. 

“Yes, I don’t want you near my friend,” Yasmin growled. Sonya sighed and moved to the chair next to her. “You can share with me.”

“Oh, your mum put in more pizza earlier,” her father chimed in. 

Yasmin glared at her mother, who merely smirked at her before cutting up the Pizza’s. It was weirdly quiet, bar from the oven and movement of cutlery. It was just quiet between everyone. The Doctor was going to say something to break the awkward silence, but she couldn’t think of anything normal. Luckily, Hakim was to the rescue.

“What songs are you girls going to sing?”

“I’m not sure,” Yasmin shrugged. 

“Emo music most likely,” Sonya sighed as she flicked through Instagram. “Me, on the other hand, might sing Ex’s and Oh’s. It’s been stuck in my head for ages.”

“Of course it has,” her sister groaned and rolled her eyes.

Ignoring the possibility of an argument coming along, Hakim turned to the Doctor. “And what about you?”

She looked up, blinked slowly, and then straightened up once she remembered. “Oh uh, I’m not sure. Maybe one of the popular songs – oh, is there any Ed Sheeran? He’s still p-”

“There might be yeah,” Yaz interrupted before she went on one of her rants. 

“You ever been to The Big Gun?” Najia asked the blonde as she placed the food on the table. 

“No, what’s that?”

“The Karaoke bar we’re going to,” Yaz replied. “It’s about four minutes from here, right?”

“Right,” Hakim answered as he sat down. 

“Oh uh, thanks for the Pizza,” the Doctor smiled as she bit into a slice. As soon as she did her face lit up like a child. “Whoa, this is really good!”

“Thought you’d like it,” Yaz grinned at her. 

Throughout the dinner Najia and Hakim asked the Doctor questions about herself, much of which she had to quickly lie about or Yaz chimed in. It was rather amusing to Najia, how Yasmin would answer questions for her. At the end of dinner, just so nothing would spill, Yaz changed the topic to Karaoke and how the Doctor had never been. 

“How have you never been to Karaoke before?” Sonya asked as she put her mobile in her pocket. “Do you live under a rock or something?”

“No,” she gave a questioning look. “Although, I did live with Otters once, I got-”

“Doctor,” Yaz warned as she put her jacket on once she stood up. 

“Am I being weird again?” 

“Constantly,” Sonya muttered but got a whack across the head with a towel by Najia. 

“Shush,” she scowled and passed her the keys. “Wait in the car.”

Without a word she walked out. The Doctor looked at Najia, “Did I do something?”

“No, it’s just her,” Najia smiled. 

“You ready?” Yaz asked everyone. “Ryan and Graham are going to be a bit late.”

“Are they okay?” the Doctor asked as she stood up, almost falling back into the computer chair. 

“Yeah, just a late dinner, that’s all,” she smiled reassuringly at her. 

“What time am I picking you up?” her mother asked as she put her coat on. 

“I’ll text when we need picking up? I’m not sure how long we’ll take since this one,” she pointed at the blonde. “Had never been to karaoke.”

Najia nodded and headed out the door. The Doctor stuck behind Yaz all the way down to the car, as if she’d get lost if she were any further. Yaz looked behind her and stopped, which made the Doctor walk into her with a yelp, and twirled around. 

“You okay?”

“Sorry,” the Doctor rubbed her nose. “I didn’t want to trail behind.”

“Why don’t you go next to me instead?” 

“Oh, yeah,” she smiled sheepishly. She noticed Najia staring at them, a slight smirk on her lips, the blonde blushed slightly. “I forgot about that...”

Yasmin grinned and gently put her hand over her shoulder, “C’mon.”

They sat together in the back, whereas Sonya sat in the passenger seat. Instead of sitting on each side of the car the Doctor sat in the middle and almost snuggled up to Yaz. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Yasmin asked her as she gently held her hand. “You seem anxious.”

“I’m still trying to figure myself out,” she muttered. “I do want to, I swear, I just don’t know what to expect.”

“Possibly drunk people, and singing,” her friend laughed. “It’s okay, if you stick with me nothing bad will happen, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Yeah, I’ll stick with you,” she smiled slightly. “I might be bad at singing though...”

“Most people who sing there are drunks and bad singers,” Najia looked at her for a moment. “You’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I’ll be singing too,” Yaz smiled.

“You’re good at singing,” the Doctor protested, making her friend blush. 

“Keep your flirting down when we’re in there alright?” Sonya rolled her eyes as she got out the car. 

“Oh, we stopped,” the Doctor muttered, then straightened up. “Wait, flirting? I wasn’t flirting!”

“Ignore her,” Najia turned to them. “She takes a while to get used to.”

The Doctor nodded slowly as she took her seatbelt off and headed out the door. “Thanks for the lift Najia.”

“Welcome.”

Yaz grabbed the Doctor’s arm and hugged it. The Doctor smiled at her and looked up at the bar. The scheme had seemed to be white and black, kind of like a Victorian style pub. She stared up at it, as if she was analyzing it. The companion nudged her, “Shall we get a shift on?”

The Doctor saw Sonya walk in and nodded. As soon as they stepped through the door all of her senses were flooded. It reeked of alcohol. There was a drunk middle-aged man singing and clumsily dancing to ‘Starboy’ by ‘The Weeknd’. Sonya found a set of seats near the front and gestured for the two to follow. Pushing through the small crowd Yaz dragged her friend over and dragged her down. She looked around once she sat and kept her hands on her lap. Thankfully, there weren’t many people in the pub, seemingly some regulars. Plenty of regulars. Although, it was still reletively early, so she figured more would come. 

“Can you get us a drink?” Sonya asked the Doctor, who just looked up at her with a confused expression.

“Don’t you have your ID?” Yaz asked sharply. 

“Yeah, but I can’t be bothered to use it every time I want a drink. The bartender won’t ID her.”

“No, you are getting your own drinks,” her sister scolded, then turned back to the Doctor. “Don’t listen to her, she’s just lazy.”

“Okay,” the Doctor smiled slightly. “What drinks do they have?”

“Cola, lemonade, and almost any alcohol,” Yaz smiled as she grabbed her purse. “What do you want?”

The Doctor froze momentarily, and then reached into her coat pocket. “Empty pockets,” she muttered as she frowned. She hated empty pockets. 

“I’ll pay for you,” her friend gently placed a hand on her wrist, reassuring her everything was going to be okay. “What do you want?”

“Um, something fruity?”

“I’ll surprise you then,” Yaz winked and dragged Sonya with her to the bar. 

The Doctor fidgeted in her seat. The song that the unknown male had sung finished, and people clapped. It startled her slightly, and she started clapping almost quietly. She looked down at her hands confused, as if she wasn’t in control. 

“You okay there las?” 

She turned around and saw a mid-twenties man looking at her. He smiled at her, showing he was no threat. He reminded her of Krasko, yet nicer. He also had blue eyes, lighter hair, and a little stubble. 

“Oh uh yeah,” she smiled at him. 

“New here?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I don’t go out to things like this much.”

“Okay! Who’s next for Karaoke?” a girl at the mic asked. 

“Well you chose a good place to start,” the man said. “No troublemakers here.”

Before she could respond Sonya walked over, took a gulp of her drink, and ran over to the girl with the mic. Yaz showed up very shortly and pushed a drink over to the Doctor. “There you go.”

“Oh, thanks,” the blonde grinned at her. 

“Hey Oliver,” Yaz smiled at the man as she sat down. “Being nice, are you?”

“Your friend then?” he gestured to the Doctor. 

“Yeah. Doctor this is Oliver, Oliver, this is the Doctor.”

“Er, nice to meet you Oliver,” she smiled up at him. 

“Nice to meet you too.” Oliver got tapped on the shoulder by one of his friends, he nodded at them and turned to Yaz and the Doctor. “I’ve gotta go. It’d be great to see yer around Yaz.”

“Just don’t get arrested this time?” she joked. 

He merely nodded shyly and waved as he walked out. Before the Doctor could ask what that was about the mic turned back on, making everyone turn their attention to the ‘stage’.

“This is Sonya Khan singing Ex’s and Oh’s!” the woman at the mic said cheerfully. The whole room cheered. The music started to play and Sonya grabbed the mic.

“ _Well, I had me a boy, turned him into a man. I showed him all the things that he didn’t understand,” Sonya smirked. “Whoa, and then I let him go. Now, there’s one in California who’s been cursing my name ‘cause I found me a better lover in the UK. Hey, hey, until I made a getaway_.”

The Doctor took a sip of her cider, cringed a bit, but swallowed. “Why does alcohol always taste funny?”

“ _One, two, three, they gonna run back to me. ‘Cause I’m the best baby that they never gotta keep._ ”

“What flavor do you have? I just asked for a random Kopparberg,  ” Yasmin asked her as she picked up the bottle. “Wait, do you even like alcohol? I’ve never seen you have any.”

The blonde shrugged, “In the past yeah. I’ve always had different reactions to it though.”

Sonya started to sway as she got into the chorus. “ _Ex’s and the oh, oh, oh’s they haunt me. Like ghosts they want me to ‘em all, they won’t let go. Ex’s and oh’s._ ”

“She’s good,” the Doctor leaned into Yasmin and whispered. 

“Yeah,” Yaz smiled. “She wants to be a singer but doesn’t do anything for it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she took a sip of her drink. “She keeps saying she writes songs but I’ve never seen any.”

“Maybe she’s not finished?” the blonde questioned. “Or she’s too shy to show you?”

“Maybe,” Yaz shrugged. 

“ _You know, that’s how the story goes,_ ” Sonya sang. “ _One, two, three, they gonna run back to me. One, two three, they gonna run back to me. They always wanna come, but they never wanna leave. Ex’s and the oh, oh, oh’s, they haunt me._ ”

“This song’s rather catchy,” the Doctor swayed into Yasmin. 

“Yeah, it is.”

“When’s Ryan and Graham getting here?”

“They should show up soon,” the brunette looked around. “I bet Ryan’s posting that video.”

_“My ex’s and the oh, oh, oh's they haunt me. Like ghosts they want me to make ‘em all, they won’t let go. Ex’s and oh’s.”_

“Probably,” the Doctor shrugged as she took another sip of her drink. “It’s nice, but rather funny. Y’know know what I mean?”

“No, I don’t,” Yasmin laughed. “Do you want to go next?”

“Um, I’ll need to look at the list. There is a list yeah?”

Sonya sat down and took a swig of her drink, a gleeful smile plastered on her face as people cheered. “You going up Doc?”

“Um, I’m n-”

“I’ll show you the list, c’mon,” Yaz stood up and gestured for her friend to get up. “Sonya look after the drinks.”

“Will do.”


	2. If You Need Help

They wandered over to the electronic ‘jukebox’. It was touchscreen and Yaz scrolled through the music. A song would give her a small teaser of it when she landed on it. Once song started playing and the Doctor perked up. “I think I know that one,” she smiled. 

“ Wanna do it?” Yaz hovered her finger over the song. 

“Sure!”

She tapped on it and told the mic-holder that the Doctor was going to sing. Once she announced what song was next and who was singing it, she passed the mic to the blonde. “Up you go sweetie.”

“Ooh, this should be fun,” the Doctor grinned as she grabbed the microphone. She turned to Yaz and whispered, “I think I know this one, but if I do it wrong can you jump in for me?”

“Yeah, sure,” she smiled. “You sure you know how to do this?”

“Yup!”

She was a bit hesitant with the first word, and started halfway through the first line. Once she did, she got into the grove of how it was sung. 

“ _I’ll be at your door tonight,_ ” she looked over at Yaz for reassurance, who just stuck her thumbs up. This gave the Doctor an extra boost of confidence. The companion continued to grin, liking how confident the Doctor had gotten, and decided to sit down.

“Oh, Doc’s singing,” Graham smiled up at her and sat down next to Yaz.

“Who are you?” Sonya asked as she eyed him. 

“Oh, I’m friends with the Doctor and Yaz,” he smiled slightly. 

“Aren’t you a bit too old to be with them though?” she paused, looked at him up and down. “Are you a perv or something?”

“What?” he spluttered. “No, I ai-”

“He’s my Granddad,” Ryan interjected as he sat down next to him.

He held his hand out, “Graham O’brien, nice to meet you...”

“Sonya Khan,” she smiled slightly and shook his hand. She turned to Ryan, “Wanna sing with me next time? Thinking of doing Dark Horse, you could do the rap part?”

“Uh, I’ll think about it,” he smiled slightly as he took a sip of his drink. 

“ _When enemies are at your door, I’ll carry you away from war,_ ” the Doctor smiled as she sang, clearly getting into it. “ _If you need help, if you need help._ ”

 “Is it me or is this song so her,” Ryan said to Yaz in a hushed tone.

“It so is,” Yaz grinned. 

 _“Your hope dangling by a string, I’ll share in your suffering, to make you well, to make you well._ ” The Doctor focused on the words on the screen. “ _Give me reasons to believe, that you would do the same for me._ ”

“It really suits her,” Graham muttered. 

 _“And I would do it for you, for you,_ ” she started to dance a little when the chorus came on. Feeling a little self-conscious, yet unable to stop, she glanced at Yaz. “ _Baby, I’m not moving on. I’ll love you long after you’re gone._ ”

“That’s directed at Yaz,” Ryan whispered to Graham, who nodded and smiled broadly at the Doctor.

“What?” Yaz asked as she turned to Ryan. He shook his head, dismissing the question and focusing on the Doctor. 

“ _You will never sleep alone. I’ll love you long after you’re gone, and long after you’re gone, gone, gone._ ”

Some people started clapping to the beat. Yaz grinned and followed, silently cheering her friend on. 

“ _When you fall like a statue, I’m gon’ be there to catch you. Put you on your feet, you on your feet. And if your well is empty, not a thing will prevent me. Tell me what you need, what do you need?_ ”

“She’s gotten less awkward,” Sonya muttered to Yaz as she clapped along. 

“Yeah, great isn’t it?”

The Doctor sang the chorus, dancing slightly once more. She looked over at Yaz, and once it ended, she motioned downwards, indicating the beat was going to go slower. As soon as the Doctor saw her and heard the tune, she took a deep breathe. 

“ _You’re my back bone,_ ” she looked at Yaz for confirmation, who nodded. It had gone relatively quiet, and everyone had stopped clapping to the beat. “ _You’re my cornerstone. You’re my crutch when my legs stop moving. You’re my head start. You‘re my rugged heart. You’re the pulse that I’ve always needed._ ”

This time some people lightly stomped on the floor and started to sing with her. 

“ _Like a drum baby, don’t stop beating,_ ” she smiled at the crowd. _“Like a drum baby, don’t stop beating. Like a drum my heart never stops beating._ ”

When it came to the chorus everyone joined in. Some drunk people even singing, or rather screaming, louder than the Doctor. Near the end it died down and the Doctor was left to sing on her own again.

“ _And long after you’re gone, gone gone,_ ” she glanced at the lyrics on the screen, seemingly checking to see if she had the lyrics right. “ _I’ll love you long after you’re gone, gone, gone._ ”

Everyone cheered. Yaz stood up and walked over to her. “That was great!”

“Really?” she smiled cheerfully. 

“You’re a newbie, right?” the woman slowly grabbed the mic out of her hand. 

“Yeah,” the Doctor nodded. 

“Good job,” the brunette grinned at her. “Haven’t had the crowd like that in a while.”

When the woman went back to the ‘jukebox’ the Doctor turned to Yaz. “Is that a good or bad thing?”

“That’s a good thing,” Yaz laughed and dragged her back to the seats. 

“Great one Doc,” Graham smiled at her. “You got the hang of it quickly.”

“Yeah, that was cool Doctor,” Ryan grinned. 

“Thanks guys!” she squealed, and then looked around the table. “Who’s gonna go next?”

“I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I even did a small Thasmin vid to this song.  
>  Link: https://youtu.be/KhkY4qv0cRM


	3. When Did We Get So Cold

“I will,” Ryan said as he stood up. “Can you get me a drink for after Graham?”

“Sure,” Graham sighed as he stood up and walked over to the bar. 

“What’re you gonna sing Ryan?” the Doctor asked as she bounced on her chair like an excited child. 

He shrugged, “Dunno, I’ll see what’s there.”

“If not, I can always sing a duet with you,” Sonya called out as he left. 

“Stop it,” Yaz told her, and then turned to the Doctor, who took a sip of her drink. “Figured out whether you like it yet?”

Her face scrunched up as she swallowed it. “I’m still not sure.”

“Okay everyone!” the woman with the mic announced. “Ryan Sinclair will be singing I Just Wanna Know by NF!”

“Of course, he’d pick a rap song,” Graham groaned as he sat down with a larger and Jack Daniels and coke. 

“To be fair, NF is pretty good and emotional,” Yaz informed him. “Try listening to the lyrics.”

The music started and Ryan held the mic with both hands. He breathed out as he mentally prepared himself. “ _Yeah, only time you ever call me when you’re feeling like nobody don’t_ _wanna_ _listen. When’s the last time you saw me, you probably don’t remember that,_ _‘cause_ _that was back when you were different. I don’t_ _wanna_ _hear the_ _sorry’s_ _. I’m tired of talking to be honest I would rather see the difference, yeah, you pass me in the hallway, but you don’t say a word to me._ ”

“He’s barely looking at the words,” the Doctor observed in shock. “He must know this song well.”

“Yeah, I remember him listening to it in secondary school,” Yaz said with a wide grin. “He listened to it the other week too.”

“When?” Graham and the Doctor asked in sync, both turning towards her. 

“When you two-” she paused once she remembered Sonya was with her. Despite her full attention being on Ryan, Yaz felt like she couldn’t risk it. “You two were ahead of us he was listening to it through headphones and showed me. It’s a pretty good song.”

“Oh,” was all Graham said as he sipped his larger. 

“The only time we went ahead was Lolita Ten,” the Doctor wondered out loud. Yaz put her hand on her arm to make her stop talking, and she leant in and whispered her reasoning for not mentioning an alien planet. The blonde’s eyes widened slightly in understanding. “Oh, right, sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“ _You took it all from me,_ ” Ryan sang, his eyes close briefly before glancing at the lyrics on screen. “ _Told me you would die for me, yeah. All you ever do is lie to me, wish that I could say this has come to a surprise to me. Tell me that I never took the time and that you_ _ain’t_ _have the time now._ ”

Because the chorus came during the part he was singing, he decided to skip the part of the chorus that had already played until he finished his sentence. 

“ _Wanna_ _know, oh_ _oh_ _oh_ _oh_ _,_ ” he sang a little louder, his eyes still closed. A bit nervous of seeing the crowd’s reaction. “ _When did we get so cold, oh_ _oh_ _oh_ _. What happened to your_ _sou_ _–_ _ou_ _–_ _oul_ _. Oh, oh. Don’t you see me?_ ”  

“He’s pretty good,” Sonya whispered to her sister. 

“Yeah, he is. Especially at this kind of music,” she turned to his step-grandad. “What do you think?”

“I’ve never heard him sing before,” he said as he smiled up at him on the makeshift stage. “He even told me he wasn’t going to. I don’t know what got into him, but I’m glad he decided to.”

“Wonder what changed his mind,” the Doctor shrugged as she took another sip of her drink.

“I think it was you Doc,” Graham smiled at her. 

“What? Why?” she asked, clearly shocked and confused by what he meant. She hadn’t urged him to sing, had she? 

“Seeing you up there maybe?”

“ _I_ _ain’t_ _gotta_ _clue who I’m looking at right now, but I know the person I’m looking at is not you._ ”

“I think he’s improved since we met you Doctor,” Yaz said, her eyes casting down slightly. Just with that little action they knew what she was going to say, but didn’t want to bring it up. 

“How’s that?”

“With how he acts and thinks now,” Graham said. “He’s also called me Grandad, which... Is good.”

“Just in general really,” Yaz chimed in, noticing how emotional he got just at saying what Ryan had previously always refused to call him. Despite the conversation topic, they still listened to him, and noticed that he had gotten to the chorus. He even swayed a little to the music, yet his eyes were still closed. 

“He must love this song,” the Doctor spoke her thoughts out loud without realizing, yet continued to do so. “Wonder who it’s about.”

“Doctor?” Yaz asked her slightly, yet the blonde couldn’t tell if she had trailed off as a warning for her to shut up again, or for her to elaborate. 

“Hmm? Oh, sorry, was I thinking out loud again?”

“Yeah,” Sonya answered almost bitterly before anyone else could. She just received a glare from her sister in response. That was enough to shut the Doctor up and make her focus on Ryan again. 

“ _What happened to your so-_ _ou_ _-_ _oul_ _. Don’t you see me?_ ” he sang. “ _I thought that we were close, but now that door is closed. When did we_ _lose_ _control? Guess you don’t need me._ ”

Ryan breathed out as he finally opened his eyes to see the crowd. He was rather stunned that nobody was glaring at him, and most people were clapping slowly. Except for the Doctor, who was stood up with a big goofy grin on her face, clapping her hands at an almost manic speed. The table that his friends – and Sonya – were at were clapping too, smiling up at him. 

“Well done Ryan,” the girl gently guided him off stage and took the microphone back. “Anyone else wanna go?”

“That was brilliant Ryan!” the blonde exclaimed as he sat down at the table. 

“You think?”

“Yeah! You didn’t even look at the screen!”

“Oh, I didn’t did I?” he took a sip of his drink. “Lost in the moment I suppose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been busy with university stuff as well as having to socialise with family.


	4. Lightweight

“Yaz, why don’t you go?” the Doctor asked as she nudged her, a goofy grin on her face. 

“Are you drunk?”

“Nope,” she drawled. “Okay, maybe?”

“How much have you had to drink Doc?” Graham asked as he sipped his lager.

The blonde grabbed her drink and tipped it upside down, one drop coming out. She grinned, “That much?”

“You’re a lightweight,” Sonya chuckled. 

“Lightweight?”

“It’s when you get drunk fast,” Yaz clarified. 

The Doctor snapped her head up at her friend, pointing her finger accusingly, “Don’t change the subject!”

Yaz jumped slightly and then looked at her confused. “I didn’t - what subject?”

“You singing!”

“Oh uh, I do-”

“She’s not gonna let it go Yaz,” Ryan chimed in before she could think of an excuse. “Just go up and sing, it’s pretty alright out there.”

“I’ll go up with you?” the Doctor offered.

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll go,” Yaz smiled as she stood up. As she walked away, she pointed to the table, “Look after her yeah?”

“Will do,” Graham mock saluted. He noticed blonde hair in his vision and looked down to see the Doctor next to him, sipping at his lager. “Oi, get off!”

“Ew, why do you like that?” she scrunched her face up in disgust. “That’s disgusting. Fruity stuff’s better.”

“Thought you didn’t like alcohol?” Sonya asked as she took a sip of her own drink.

“Up next is Yaz Khan singing Isn’t It Lovely!”

As soon as the woman cheered the Doctor hushed Sonya and payed her full attention to Yaz as she got up on stage. Everyone rolled their eyes at her, but looked on to the stage. The intro to the song started, the beat slow and calming. Yaz sighed slightly as she put the mic on the stand and gripped onto it.

“ _Thought I found a way,_ ” she started. “ _Thought I found a way, yeah. But to never go away._ _So_ _I guess I_ _gotta_ _stay now._ ”

As it got to the second verse Yaz closed her eyes contently as she sung. In that moment, it wasn’t just Yaz doing that that amazed the Doctor, but her singing voice. She already knew she was brilliant at it, but with this song, it felt right.

“ _Oh, I hope_ _someday_ _I’ll make it out of here, even if it takes all night or hundred years,_ ” she looked up slightly, looking straight at the Doctor. “ _Need a place to hide,_ _but I_ _can’t find one near._ _Wanna_ _feel alive, outside I can fight my fear._ ”

“Amazing,” the Doctor whispered, as if she was in a trance.

“ _Isn’t it lovely, all alone?_ ”

Somehow, in a room filled with people and having a nice time with her friends, that line got to the blonde. Everything about it, what it was, the music, the way it was sung, it filled her fuzzy head with bad memories. Is this what it was like to be drunk? Bad thoughts popping into your head all the time? Even in a good situation?

“ _Walkin_ _’ out of town,_ _lookin_ _’ for a better place. Something’s on my mind, always in my head space._ ”

“S’prised she chose this song,” Ryan muttered to Graham. 

“She likes these sad songs,” Sonya shrugged. “She’s got the voice for ‘em, but they’re such a downer.”

“Probably why they’re labelled as sad songs,” Graham said as he sipped his drink.

“Sshh guys,” the Doctor batted her hand at them. “I’m trying to hear.”

“ _Need a place to hide, but I can’t find one near. Wana feel alive outside I can fight my fear,”_ Yaz continued to sing, gripping onto the mic stand. “ _Isn’t it lovely, all alone? Heart made of glass, my mind of stone. Tear me to pieces, skin and bone. Hello, welcome home._ ”

“Sounds kinda like whale music now,” Sonya shrugged.

“That’s a bi-”

“Shh!” the Doctor interrupted Ryan as she stared up at Yaz. 

“ _Whoa, whoa,_ ” Yaz opened her eyes and focused on her table. “ _Hello, welcome home._ ”

It fell silent for a brief moment, and then clapping was heard. Yaz released a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding. She smiled shyly at the crowd and walked off stage. As she handed the mic back to the woman she looked back to the table, to see a certain blonde had disappeared. Just as worry flooded her body two hands suddenly planted themselves on her shoulders, making her jump. She twirled around to her side to see said blonde grinning at her.

“Doctor-”

“That was amazing Yaz!” she pulled her into a hug. It shocked her a little, but not as much as the waver in her voice as she said it. 

“Doctor?” Yaz asked softly as she hugged her back. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she sniffed slightly as she pulled back, noticeable tears in her eyes. “It was beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she grinned. Yaz took her hand gently and they slowly made their way back to the table. Once they both sat down, she noticed that her drink had been drunk. “Hey, who-”

The grinning blonde resting on her shoulder gave her the answer. “Sorry Yaz.”

“Well,” she sighed. “Least you’re not crying.”

“Yeah,” she drawled. 

“Crying?” Graham asked like a concerned parent. 

“Hey Graham, why don’t you sing?” Ryan asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from tears. Seeing as the Doctor wasn’t openly crying or made a fuss about it, he could tell she didn’t want anyone to know. 

“What?”

“Yeah!” the Doctor exclaimed as she threw her arms up in the air. “Sing Graham!”

“Er, no,” he sipped his drink. 

“Don’t make us chant,” Ryan teased.

“Yeah, c’mon Graham, if I had to sing you have to,” Yaz smirked. 

The Doctor had started to lightly tap her hand against the table, quietly chanting Graham. Before it got any louder or everyone joined in, he sighed, took a gulp of his drink, and stood up. “You guys owe me.”

“Yay! Go Graham!” the Doctor cheered, followed by Yaz and Ryan. 

Graham rolled his eyes and walked towards the brunette and the list of songs. She smiled up at him, “Pressured huh?”

“You could say that,” he sighed as he scrolled through the songs. “Just tap the one I want yeah?”

“Yup!"

A few pop songs later he found a song and clicked it. Begrudgingly, he grabbed the mic off the woman, “Better get this over with I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, turns out the Doctor's a lightweight.


	5. New Orleans

“Next up is Graham with House of the Rising Sun!”

“Oh god, really?” Ryan shook his head. 

“He had to pick an ancient song, didn’t he?” Sonya laughed.

“What’s wrong with that song?” the Doctor looked between everyone. 

“Nothing’s wrong with it,” Yaz laughed, happy to see the Doctor back to her drunken self. “It’s pretty old, but he was bound to pick it.”

The song had started and half the locals were cheering Graham before he had begun to sing. The Doctor looked around at them, and turned to Yaz. “He hasn’t started yet?”

“They like the song as much as him,” Yaz laughed slightly.

“ _ There is a house in New Orleans, _ ” he began. “ _ They call the Rising Sun, and it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy, and God, I know I’m one. _ ”

“This song sounds familiar,” the blonde muttered.

“ _ My mother was a tailor, she sewed my new blue jeans. My father was a  _ _ gamblin _ _ ’ man, down in New Orleans. _ ” There was a bit of an instrumental and Graham stood  their , gently nodding with the tune. “ _ Now the only thing a gambler needs  _ _ is _ _ a suitcase and a trunk. And the only time he’s satisfied is when he’s on a drug. _ ”

The locals started to sway with him, some too hammered to move in beat, some just doing it encouragingly. He smiled at them, showing his appreciation. 

“This is a nice song, and slow compared to the others,” the Doctor commented. 

“Can’t you listen to someone sing karaoke and not talk?” Sonya sighed.

“Oh sorry, am I talking out loud again?”

“Constant-”

“Sonya calm down, she’s never been here before and she’s drunk for the first time in her life. Leave her alone,” Yaz said in hush tones to her as she sipped her own drink.

Sonya just rolled her eyes and stared at Graham. The Doctor looked at Yaz, “Thanks.”

Yaz noticed her eyeing up her drink. Narrowing her own, she pulled the glass closer to her. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Aw,” the blonde pouted.

“ _ Oh, _ _ mother tell your children, not to do what I have done, _ ” he sang. “ _ Spend your lives in sin and misery. In the House of the Rising Sun. _ ” 

Graham gradually sung louder, clearly getting comfortable. “ _ Well, I got one foot on the platform, the other foot on the train. I’m  _ _ goin _ _ ’ back to New Orleans. To wear that ball and chain. _ ”

A few men sang with him on the chorus this time, slightly swaying their beers side to side in time with the tune. 

“ _ Well, there is a house in New Orleans, they call the Rising Sun, _ ” they all sang in unison loudly. “ _ And it’s been the ruin of many poor boy, and God, I know I’m one. _ ”

Graham smiled at the drunk men in the front who sang with him and walked off stage, passing the mic to the woman. He sat back down at the table with a sigh and drank some of his lager. “You happy?”

“You enjoyed it, admit it,” Ryan smirked.

“Okay fine,” he raised his hands up in mock surrender. “It was fun, especially when Frank and the boys sang along.”

“Frank?” Yaz asked before the Doctor could. 

“Yeah, he’s the one in the puffy red jacket,” he said as he pointed at said person. “Former bus driver like me.”

“Hey Graham,” the Doctor paused to see if she had gotten his attention. When he looked over at her and nodded, she carried on. “Have you ever been to New Orleans?”

“I did actually,” he smiled proudly. “Only for a month, staying with family.”

“Would you ever go there again?”

“Maybe, if the opportunity presented itself,” Graham paused and raised a brow at her. “Why?”

“Maybe we could,” she paused herself and glanced at Sonya, noticing that she could be listening despite not looking at her. “Arrange something sometime?”

“Have you ever been there Doctor?” Yaz asked.

“Possibly,” she shrugged. “Must’ve at some point I guess.”

“How do you not know?” Sonya laughed. “Are you too drunk or something?”

“Na - well, maybe? But I uh, I travel a lot and don’t have that good er, memory.”

“If we could organize it, then sure, we can go,” Graham said, going full circle to finish the New Orleans conversation, also not to get too caught up in travelling in case something spilled.

“Has everyone been up?” Ryan asked as he looked around the table, finishing off his drink. 

“Uh, yeah, think so,” Yaz did the same. She was just about to speak again until she felt someone lean on her and a finger tracing up and down her arm. “Yes?”

“Can we sing together?” the Doctor drawled, grinning childishly.

“Um, sure,” she smiled. The Doctor went to move but Yaz noticed someone else go up on the stage, so she pulled her back down. “After that person sings, okay?”

“Sure!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is shorter than the others but I couldn't think of what else to do. In the next chapter - that should hopefully be longer - there won't be much lyrics in there as the main characters aren't singing.
> 
> Kudos and Comments are greatly appreciated!


	6. Shot Through The Heart

   
 _“Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame. You give love a bad name!”_

Everyone joined in the chorus. Even the Doctor, who had sneakily stolen more of Yaz’s drink as the song went on, the table pretended not to notice.

“ _I play my part and you play your game,_ ” the drunk student sang, exaggerating his hand movements. “ _You give love a bad name. You give love!_ ”

“He’s pretty good,” the blonde grinned, nodding her head to the instrumental. “Remind me to take you to see Bon Jovi.”

Luckily, Sonya had gone to the bathroom at that point. “You know him then?” Yaz asked and she drank the rest of her drink.

“Yeah!”

“You still haven’t taken me to see Elvis Doc,” Graham raised a brow.

“Oh yeah, I’ll do that at some point too!”

“ _ Shot through the heart! _ ” everyone stared to clap. “ _ And you’re to blame, you give love a bad name, I play my part and you play your game, you give love a bad name! _ ”

The whole bar sang along during the chorus and the rest of the song. The energy had changed drastically from when the fam first walked in, and so had the Doctor’s mood. She was more outgoing than before and clingy, especially to Yaz.

“And that was Darren with You Give Love A Bad Name!”

“Yaz, can we go up now?” the Doctor asked quickly, before the woman could finish her sentence.

“Yeah sure, why not?” Yaz shrugged and giggled once the blonde shot up and stumbled over to the woman with the mic. She followed, the two already in a conversation.

“Yeah, we can find duet songs and get another mic,” the brunette smiled at the two. “What type of duet? Normal, just regular two people? Rap? A ft. Song? Love Ballad?”

“A featuring song maybe?” Yaz cut in, knowing it would make her family life hell if Sonya saw them sing a love song.

“Okay,” the woman got a list up. “Pick a song and I’ll go get the other mic.”

“Thanks!” the Doctor grinned and swayed over to the jukebox. “What song do you  wanna do Yaz?”

“Well, what songs do you know?” she asked as she slowly scrolled through them. “This one’s pretty good, it’s slow and calming. Don’t really want a hyperactive one, do we?”

“Oh, I’d be great at speed talking! But er, yeah, let’s do a slow one.”

“Picked a song?” the brunette smiled as she handed a red lined mic to Yaz.

“Think so,” she turned to her friend. “Do you want to be the male one?”

“Hmm, okay, why not?” she grinned goofily, shrugging as she bounced lightly on her heels.

“That song it is then,” Yaz laughed slightly out of nerves. She had never done a duet before. In front of her sister and with her crush, she was extra nervous despite being tipsy. Although, when the bouncy blonde dragged her on the stage, stumbling up the steps with a big grin on her face, her nerves were eased ever so slightly. Maybe it won’t be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a short chapter but it's really just a filler and I thought of the song.


End file.
